French parliament ratifies EU Treaty, uncertainty remains

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The French parliament gave green light to the new European Union (EU) reform treaty on Friday, making France the fifth and so far the largest country to ratify the document.

An "Yes" answer from France further paved the way for the implementation of the so-called Lisbon Treaty. However, potential rejection from Slovakia and Ireland still cast a shadow of uncertainty over the fate of the document, which can only take effect with the approval of all the 27 EU members.

France, one of the two countries that shocked Europe by voting down the EU constitution in a referendum in 2005, this time avoided the risk of another embarrassment to Brussels by dropping a referendum and instead ratifying the treaty through parliament vote.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a firm advocate for the treaty, has been expecting his country to say yes to the document before it takes over the EU rotating presidency in the second half of the year.

"This is excellent news, a great victory for France which has gone from being the country holding up Europe to being the one that pulled Europe out of gridlock," Sarkozy's spokesman David Martinon said Friday.

By ratifying the treaty, France, the country that vetoed the former EU constitution three years ago, showed its commitment to promoting integration and development of the 27-nation bloc.

"The ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon by France sets the seal on our country's return to the heart of Europe, a few months before the beginning of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union," French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said in a statement Friday.

Optimism also came from Britain, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was initially considered to be taking a lukewarm attitude toward Brussels, showed a growing intention to recognize a "global role" for Europe.

The prime minister rejected the opposition Conservative Party's demand for a public vote on the treaty, saying the document is "much less far-reaching" than the now-defunct European constitution.

The British parliament is currently debating on the treaty, with expectation to come up with a positive answer.

However, in Slovakia and Ireland, obscurity remains in the treaty's future.

The ratification process of the treaty in the Slovak parliament was almost halted to a standstill, amid tussles between government and opposition on a new media law.

The opposition boycotted the parliamentary vote on the treaty, scheduled on Thursday, in protest of a proposed new media law. The parliament had to indefinitely put off the vote until March, as ruling parties were short of the majority needed to approve the document.

The situation in Slovakia aroused concern from Brussels, which feared a potential pitfall. However, the delay of the parliamentary vote at least spared the risk of an immediate failed vote, as the opposition said they could vote for the treaty if their demand for amendment on the new law is met.

Uncertainty also prevailed in Ireland, the only EU member that is constitutionally bound to hold a referendum on the treaty.

In 2001, the Irish voters disappointed the EU by discarding in a referendum the Nice Treaty, a document for the bloc's expansion into Eastern Europe, and only approved the expansion pledge in a second referendum the next year.

The Irish government has not decided on the date for the referendum. However, a poll conducted last month showed 64 percent of the voters are still riding the fence, while 26 percent are in favor of the treaty and 10 percent are going to say "No" to it.

Among other EU members, Germany is expected to wrap up the ratification process by June this year, while Sweden and Spain plan to handle the issue till late this year. Most of the other members are yet to set a date for ratification.

The reform treaty, which is expected to bring an end to the six years of debate among the EU and two years of constitutional crisis, is vital to streamlining the function of the regional bloc.

It provides for far-reaching changes in the EU's institutions and decision-making mechanisms, including the creation of a long-term president of the European Council instead of the current six-month rotation system, and the adoption of a double majority voting system -- approval by at least 55 percent of membership and at least 65 percent of the bloc's total population.

However, it drops all references to the EU flag or anthem, to assuage euro skeptic fears of another step toward a federal Europe.